Quebec wrestler pleads guilty to reduced charge in death of teen girl
SALABERRY-DE-VALLEYFIELD, Que. (CP) - An ex-wrestler whose ring nickname was The Career Killer pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder in the death of a 16-year-old girl.
Kurt Lauder had originally been charged with first-degree murder in Shanna Poissant’s death last July. The beefy 24-year-old appeared to be a broken man in court as he stared down and mumbled one-word answers. Court heard that he suffered deep depression after his arrest and was sent to the Pinel Institute after attempting to commit suicide.
Poissant’s mother entered the courthouse carrying a photo of her daughter.
Emotional family and friends expressed outrage that Lauder was allowed to plead to a reduced charge and were unsympathetic to his emotional problems.
“I think the trial’s more concerned with Kurt Lauder than it is with the death of my niece,” Tina Dann told reporters.
Family friend Karen Borro questioned whether Lauder was depressed over killing someone or getting caught.
“Worrying about his psychiatric state now is a bit of a comedy because for 15 days he did what he had to do,” she said. “He wrestled. He went to water slides. He saw his friends.”
Sentencing arguments will take place Sept. 25 in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, southwest of Montreal.
The teenager’s body showed signs of violence when it was found in a forest exactly a year ago Wednesday near the Quebec town of Hemmingford.
She had been killed about two weeks earlier inside Lauder’s home.
WE HOPE HE ISN"T DEPRESSED OR NOTHING BECAUSE IT ISN"T LIKE HE KILLED SOMEONE’S DAUGHTER
